Since then, a lovely couple of retired doctors from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina have been to all but one – Village Burger! We are working to welcome Joe and Doris Lindner (and their kids and grandchildren), on Friday, April 26th at 10:30 a.m., with a presentation by Kahu Danny Akaka & family, Senate and Mayoral proclamations, and hopefully some of the restaurant’s many local farmers, bakers, ranchers and other food providers – to show it ‘takes a village’ to make a great Village Burger.

Doris and Joe Lindner pose by the USA Today poster at the Char-Grill in Raleigh, N.C. During the past two years, the couple, retired doctors living on Hilton Head Island, have driven to all but one of America’s 51 Great Burger Joints

WHAT: Epicurean history will be made when Joe and Doris Lindner of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, visit Village Burger Waimea on April 26 to complete their journey across America to eat at all of USA Today’s “51 Great Burger Joints.” Hawai‘i Island’s award-winning restaurant is the final stop on their delicious two-year quest.

WHO: Village Burger Waimea will welcome the Lindners with a special ceremony, including music and dance by Danny and Anna Akaka, proclamations from the offices of Hawai‘i County Mayor Billy Kenoi and Senator Malama Solomon, and support from the Big Island Visitors Bureau.

Joe and Doris will be joined by their daughters and sons-in-law Karen and Tom Pappas, Laura and Kevin Sankey; and grandchildren, Logan, Nolan, Colton, Teddy and Charlotte as they make history.

WHEN: FRIDAY, APRIL 26 – 10:30 A.M.

WHERE: VILLAGE BURGER WAIMEA

Parker Ranch Center, 67-1185 Hawai‘i Belt Road, Kamuela, HI 96743

WHY: In October 2010, Chef/Owner Edwin Goto’s popular eatery Village Burger Waimea was named one of USA Today’s “51 Great Burger Joints” as part of the national newspaper’s “Great American Bites” series. Hawai‘i food writer Joan Namkoong provided the recommendation noting the restaurant as
“A locavore’s delight, with a grass-fed, pasture-raised, ground-fresh-daily Big Island beef burger, thick and grilled to order, topped with just-picked, Waimea-grown veggies in a brioche bun from nearby Hawi town.”

The Lindners were visiting a daughter in Colorado when the list was published and paid a visit to Colorado’s top pick Park Burger in Denver. On their drive home to South Carolina, they visited three more burger joints on the list and that’s when Joe and Doris made the decision to set out to eat at all the restaurants on the list. Click here to read more about their journey.

NOTE: The public is invited to attend this special ceremony and celebration.